Eat Indoors This Memorial Day Weekend Around Lake Lanier

Written by Robert Sutherland

Lake Lanier is the largest lake that’s entirely within Georgia. Fifty-nine square miles of beauty. Almost 700 miles of shoreline. Unfortunately, most of Lanier will be wet according to the weather forecast. Make reservations to eat indoors this Memorial Day Weekend!

D’oh! Rain Over Lake Lanier for the Memorial Day Weekend?

Let’s begin with the good news! There’s only a 50% chance of rain over Lake Lanier on Friday afternoon.

Pleasantly owned by the folks who run Pig Tales, Fish Tales is probably a better spot to stay dry if it’s really raining. Not exactly the same food as Pig Tales. Which type of cole slaw will you prefer?

Wait! Before you drown your wig and ditch your tuxedo, go to marc at Chateau Elan for fancy dishes that will confound the snippiest foodie you know. You’ll hear nothing but praise for the meal’s presentation … unique recipes with unusual ingredients … mouth-watering meals … and marc for dessert. Very indoors and safe from any monsoon the holiday weekend may throw at us.

And now. As promised. This is how our government defines a chance of rain.

How Does Weather.Gov Define a 40% Chance of Rain?

What does this “40 percent” mean? …will it rain 40 percent of the time? …will it rain over 40 percent of the area?

The “Probability of Precipitation” (PoP) describes the chance of precipitation occurring at any point you select in the area.

How do forecasters arrive at this value?

Mathematically, PoP is defined as follows:

PoP = C x A where “C” = the confidence that precipitation will occur somewhere in the forecast area, and where “A” = the percent of the area that will receive measurable precipitation, if it occurs at all.

So… in the case of the forecast above, if the forecaster knows precipitation is sure to occur ( confidence is 100% ), he/she is expressing how much of the area will receive measurable rain. ( PoP = “C” x “A” or “1” times “.4” which equals .4 or 40%.)

But, most of the time, the forecaster is expressing a combination of degree of confidence and areal coverage. If the forecaster is only 50% sure that precipitation will occur, and expects that, if it does occur, it will produce measurable rain over about 80 percent of the area, the PoP (chance of rain) is 40%. ( PoP = .5 x .8 which equals .4 or 40%. )

In either event, the correct way to interpret the forecast is: there is a 40 percent chance that rain will occur at any given point in the area.

No, I didn’t make that up. Honest.

Robert Sutherland

Robert J. Sutherland is a travel writer enjoying life in Gainesville, GA.
Robert has two adult daughters, seven practically perfect grandchildren and a zippy Kawasaki. Contact Robert at RJSutherland@hotmail.com.